


To Be Human

by knoxhannes



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Blood, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Vomiting, i only tagged noncon for the end but it doesn't have to do with sex, more shidge in part two, swearing of earth and altean dialects
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 17:23:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11536893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knoxhannes/pseuds/knoxhannes
Summary: The consequences of a space war.





	To Be Human

The green paladin lays still on the infirmary bed as the beeping sounds above her head. There's a sharp pain still coming from the stab wound, and the cool pack Hunk placed there wasn't really helping. She also has a headache that's making her eyes feel heavy. If it wasn't for the constant beeps she might be enjoying a nice little nap about now.

 

Finally, the beeping stops and the results are displayed on the screen in front of Allura. From this angle Pidge can't see for herself.

 

"I...I..."

 

"What does it say?" Lance is looking over her shoulder, but he can't read Altean.

 

Pidge rises up a bit into a sitting position. Big mistake, as the pain intensifies and she groans.  

 

"I don't know," Allura finally says.

 

"What don't you know?" Shiro asks. 

 

"This isn't anything I recognize. I thought it was quintessence but you've all been exposed to that before and you were unharmed. This... whatever it is, is poisoning her."

 

She diverts all of their attention to another screen, it must be a picture because no one asks for a translation. Pidge still can't see because she's on the other side of the room with a hand on her stomach trying to lessen the pain.

 

"So what now? We look for a cure? There's got to be something out there that will help."

 

No one answers her.

 

"What, after all this time of you all trying to get a witty one-liner in you're suddenly at a loss for words? Say something." 

 

No one meets her eyes. 

 

_"LOOK AT ME!"_

 

They all flinch at her scream. The pain in her stomach won't stop and now they're ignoring her.

 

Finally Allura turns to her, with steeled eyes to not let the dam break. "We can't look for a cure."

 

Pidge's laugh is quiet, hollow. "You're giving up on me? Just like that?"

 

"We don't have enough time Pidge."

 

The sob Pidge chokes back is heavy, "What the quiznak does that mean? Make time!"

 

"At the... rate the poison is eating away at your body, you won't live to see another Quintent."

 

There it is. The confirmation that today really is her last day. Last day of eating, drinking, sleeping, and living.

 

Katie Holt knew what she was getting into while sneaking into the Garrison, the risks of getting caught would land her multiple treason charges and she'd most likely be locked away forever. Her government wouldn't send her to a death squad but she'd most likely live a long, long life in a personal prison cell. For finding out what really happened to her brother and father, those charges were worth it. But when an alien craft crashed to earth and she found herself lost in space with flying cat robots,well... this wasn't a situation she could have prepared herself for.

 

In the time she's been away from earth, Pidge had all the chances available to really comprehend what was happening. This is real life, not a cartoon that came on the weekends she and her family watched at the breakfast table.  If she didn't solely focus on her mission, maybe the weight would have set in. Maybe this would have been foreshadowed.

 

Shiro turns to face her too, and there are actual goddamn tears falling from his eyes. As he moves to her he says, "I'm sorry, Pidge."

 

She swings around and out of the bed as fast as the pain will allow, "NO! You don't get to be sorry! You don't get to cry!"

 

He freezes, his face turns into something she sees whenever his PTS occurs. It's like he's fighting it off, trying to remain the Black Paladin, Leader of Voltron. If Takashi Shirogane witnesses this he'll break into bite size pieces.

 

She only gets a few steps in before she falls to the ground, the tears leaking from her face. As she tries to get up again, she sees them all staring at her. She throws the cool pack and it hits Hunk square in his shoulder. No reaction, time has stopped in the space her friends occupy. Now if only time would stop for her.

 

"So that's it then? I'm over? Done? New green paladin time?"

 

Lance whips around, his voice cracking, "No Pidge-"

 

"You'll need to find one soon, if you're gonna stop the empire."

 

They can't argue against that, it's a cold hard fact. Everything about this feels cold. She turns her back toward them, sitting back down. 

 

"Wonder what they'll be like. Smarter than me? More careful? You gonna tell them what I-" something from the pit of her stomach rises and she wretches, its a dark red, "-what I was like? _When I'm fucking dead?"_

 

_"Katie,"_  The pain in Shiro's voice cuts in. Pidge keeps her face away, if her hair was still long she could hide easier.

 

"...what are you going to tell my dad? And Matt?"

 

And Shiro's crying again. 

 

Coran, however, has experienced something like this before. "We'll tell them you loved them. They'll know how hard you worked to get them back home."

 

Another surge of bile rises up and she vomits more this time, and behind her are the sounds of more friends crying. God she feels like she's creating her own funeral.

 

"You all can dispose of my body by dinnertime then."

 

Keith, who's been silent and still this whole time, takes a deep breath. "No."

 

This is the reaction that causes her to turn her head, "What?"

 

But Keith is already crossing over the room. With full speed he snatches her from the ground and carries her out of the room. She struggles from the pain in her wounds but his grip is too tight. Everyone follows wondering what he has up his sleeve, ignoring her protests. Once it's revealed where he's headed she begins screaming.

 

"The cryopods aren't gonna heal me you fucking idiot! We were just here!"

 

Pidge feels his hands clench into fists, "I'm not losing you too."

 

Just as she's about to ask what he's talking about, he throws her in a pod. Before she can crawl out he shuts her in. Outside the others are talking frantically, probably arguing. Pidge can't hear anything they're saying as she struggles to stand up.

 

_"Let me out Keith! This can't save me! Lance, Hunk, help me!"_   No one answers her, they're all looking at Keith who's talking over her. She starts hitting the door to get their attention.  

 

When Keith's mouth stops moving, Allura moves to the controls and begins adjusting the settings. Shiro looks at her with a horrified expression and here, Pidge truly feels scared.

 

_"I don't wanna die."_

 

Time stops.


End file.
